348
FXUS65 KBYZ 252209
AFDBYZ
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
409 PM MDT WED MAR 25 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- ELEVATED TO CRITICAL GRASS FIRE DANGER TODAY, DUE TO VERY WARM,
DRY AND WINDY CONDITIONS.
- GUSTY WINDS (40 TO 60 MPH) ALONG THE WESTERN FOOTHILLS TODAY,
BREEZY ACROSS THE PLAINS (25 TO 40 MPH).
- COLD FRONT BRINGS COOLER TEMPERATURES AND THE CHANCE OF LIGHT
PRECIPITATION, LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING INTO THURSDAY.
- WARM & DRY AGAIN THIS WEEKEND, WITH POTENTIAL FOR BREEZY
CONDITIONS OVER THE WESTERN FOOTHILLS.
- CONDITIONS MAY BECOME MORE UNSETTLED NEXT WEEK.
UPDATE
AN AREA OF WEAK INSTABILITY NORTH AND EAST OF BILLINGS AND COLD
AIR ADVECTION MOVING IN FROM THE NORTHEAST HAS PRODUCED ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS FROM MUSSELSHELL COUNTY EAST THROUGH NORTHERN
ROSEBUD AND CUSTER COUNTIES LATE THIS AFTERNOON. WEAK THUNDERSTORMS
ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS IN THESE AREAS. HAVE UPDATED
POPS AND WEATHER TO ACCOUNT FOR THE THUNDERSTORMS. STP
DISCUSSION
THE REST OF TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY...
AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING, WINDS ARE BREEZY WITH WIDESPREAD GUSTS IN THE 20S AND
30S MPH OVER THE PLAINS AND GUSTS AROUND 40 TO 60 MPH OVER THE
WESTERN FOOTHILLS. AS THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH, WINDS WILL TURN
MORE NORTHERLY WITH OCCASIONALLY BREEZY CONDITIONS CONTINUING INTO
THE EVENING. RELATIVE HUMIDITIES HAVE BEEN DECREASING THROUGH THE
DAY AS TEMPERATURES BECOME UNSEASONABLY WARM. GIVEN THE WARM, DRY,
AND BREEZY CONDITIONS, A RED FLAG WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE
WESTERN HALF OF THE CWA THROUGH THIS EVENING AND ELEVATED GRASS
FIRE CONCERNS CONTINUE FOR THE EASTERN HALF OF THE CWA.
LIGHT PRECIPITATION WILL ACCOMPANY THE COLD FRONT THIS AFTERNOON,
BEGINNING AS RAIN SHOWERS AND BECOMING RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS
OVERNIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING. THIS AFTERNOON, ENOUGH
INSTABILITY IS PRESENT (CAPE VALUES 75-150 J/KG) WEST OF BILLINGS
FOR A LOW CHANCE (5-15%) OF A RUMBLE OF THUNDER WITH THESE
SHOWERS. LITTLE TO NO SNOW ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED AT LOWER
ELEVATIONS, WITH A LESS THAN 20% CHANCE OF AT LEAST 0.5" OF SNOW
OUTSIDE OF THE MOUNTAINS AND IMMEDIATE FOOTHILLS. OVER THE
MOUNTAINS, 1-3" ARE EXPECTED, WITH A 40% CHANCE OF MORE THAN 3"
OVER THE HIGHEST PEAKS.
TEMPERATURES WILL BE MUCH COOLER THURSDAY, WITH HIGHS IN THE 40S
TO LOW 50S. PRECIP WILL END DURING THE AFTERNOON AS DRIER
CONDITIONS MOVE IN FROM THE NORTH AND WEST, ALONG WITH BREEZY
NORTHWEST WINDS OF 20 TO 35 MPH OVER THE PLAINS AND 30 TO 50 MPH
OVER THE WESTERN FOOTHILLS.
ENSEMBLES REMAIN IN GOOD AGREEMENT FRIDAY AND THROUGH THE WEEKEND IN
WARMER AND DRIER CONDITIONS AS UPPER RIDGING BUILDS OVER THE REGION.
HIGHS LOOK TO RANGE FROM THE 50S ON FRIDAY, TO THE 60S TO LOWER 70S
SATURDAY, AND 70S FOR SUNDAY AND MONDAY. WINDS LOOK LIGHT OVERALL
THROUGH MUCH OF THE WEEKEND, WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME INCREASED
WINDS ALONG THE WESTERN FOOTHILLS SUNDAY INTO MONDAY AS UPPER
TROUGHING BEGINS MOVING ONTO THE WEST COAST. WHILE THERE IS A LOT OF
UNCERTAINTY, A MORE ACTIVE PATTERN WITH CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION
COULD EVOLVE HEADING INTO NEXT WEEK. STP/ARCHER
AVIATION
BREEZY WESTERLY WINDS WILL EXIST THIS AFTERNOON AHEAD OF AN
EVENING/OVERNIGHT COLD FRONT PASSAGE. THIS FRONT WILL SHIFT WINDS
OUT OF THE NORTH AND BRING A PERIOD OF STRATUS AND ISOLATED TO
SCATTERED RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS TO THE AREA THIS EVENING INTO THURSDAY
MORNING. WITH THIS, MVFR CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE, MAINLY DUE TO
LOWER CEILINGS (MODERATE CHANCE). AS BREEZY WESTERLY WINDS RE-
DEVELOP DURING THE DAY THURSDAY, CLOUDS AND ANY REMAINING
PRECIPITATION WILL DISSIPATE, ALLOWING VFR CONDITIONS TO PREVAIL.
ARENDS
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS
THU FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED
-----------------------------------------------------------
BIL 038/051 025/057 034/073 041/069 039/073 043/059 032/048
75/W 00/U 00/B 01/B 12/W 33/W 44/W
LVM 034/049 024/058 033/069 041/068 041/070 042/058 030/047
74/J 00/U 00/B 01/B 12/W 23/W 54/W
HDN 036/054 023/058 030/074 037/070 037/075 042/062 031/051
66/W 00/U 00/U 00/B 12/W 32/W 54/W
MLS 035/048 021/051 029/068 038/065 038/069 041/058 030/045
43/W 00/U 00/B 00/B 11/B 21/E 33/W
4BQ 038/049 023/053 033/071 041/068 041/074 042/064 032/047
36/W 00/U 00/U 00/U 11/B 21/B 44/W
BHK 033/044 015/048 027/065 036/064 034/065 037/057 026/043
53/W 10/U 00/B 00/B 10/B 21/E 33/W
SHR 033/046 023/053 029/072 037/071 038/073 040/062 030/048
37/W 10/U 00/U 00/B 11/B 22/W 55/W
BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
MT...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR
ZONES 123>129.
WY...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR
ZONE 274.
WEATHER.GOV/BILLINGS
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
Main Text Page